I have recently feeling bummed out about my situation; having finished grad school over 6 months ago and no leads on a job. Every day I do some thing to get me that full-time position but I can’t help feeling like I am not productive enough. I know it’s been talked about how the whole ‘Hustle everyday’ is a toxic notion and tends to stress people out more than help.
Anyway, I have been looking at more ways to be productive. I came across this NYtimes piece about the recent popularity of bariatric surgery … well, recent at the time it was published (2007). It talked about an interesting economics tool called commitment device. It’s when you apply high stakes/losses to not doing a certain task. There’s a productivity app called Beeminder where you can bet money, which you’d lose if you don’t complete a task. A historic and extreme example of commitment device is when, the legendary Chinese leader, Han Xin gathered his soldiers for a battle in a manner that their backs were to a river. This resulted in Han Xin’s soldiers had only one way to proceed.
One popular weight loss app that has applied this strategy is Dietbet. I had noticed last year when I had fallen off the wagon. I decided to give this app a shot and I bet the minimum amount which is $35. I didn’t stick to my plan to lose weight and lost the bet. Hence, when I came across Beeminder, I realised that losing money isn’t a big enough commitment for me to do something. Instead it’s the thought of a grim future that drives me. I can’t always rely on me realising that doing something is good for my future because it’s so subjective. Anyway, I have planned to devise a commitment device that has stakes in my future.
Photo by Ryan Thomas Ang on Unsplash
Town of Cats 